How This Teenage Hacker Became an Unlikely Star of London Fashion Week

As casting diversity continues to infiltrate and disrupt the runways, the new rule for fashion month is: Anything goes. For his Spring 2019 presentation in London, titled Interference, Nicholas Kirkwood chose to showcase his latest footwear collection on a badass gang of all-female hackers instead of traditional models. Set in an underground bunker with flashing monitors and LED lights, the cast, which included actress and #MeToo leader Rose McGowan, modeled Kirkwood’s new shoe styles, all inspired by tech and cyber-reality—for instance, his signature pearl combat boots came covered in a graphic TV static–style print, while a pair of block-heeled sandals was constructed with what looked like tangled computer wiring.

One of the most notable cast members from the show? That would be 18-year-old CyFi, a teen hacker who began her coding career at the tender age of 10. Dubbed a “white hat” hacker, CyFi is one of many millennials changing the face of the hacking world. Unlike criminal hackers à la Rihanna’s character in Ocean’s 8—who use computer penetration for, say, big-money heists—white hat hackers use their tech skills for good, often working with companies to pinpoint bugs in their security systems by breaking into their own protected networks. Call it ethical hacking.

CyFi is a good example. She uses hacking in order to teach children how to protect themselves online. Dressed in a mesh outfit and Kirkwood’s chunky sneaker-boot hybrid, she also wore shielding glasses, as she always does, to keep her real identity a mystery—a decision enforced by her parents, “so the villains don’t know how to get you,” she once said. CyFi began her hacking career early on. Her first hack was infiltrating the app Smurfs’ Village, which allows kids to create virtual farms. (She found a way to instantaneously grow her own crop.) She is one of the youngest in the world to discover a flaw in iPhone and Android games. When she was 12, she also found a bug in a Samsung smart TV that made its camera feature vulnerable. (Everyone’s worst nightmare.)

Since then, she has progressed her talents, using hacking to make the Internet a safer place. In 2010, she helped found R00tz Asylum, a hacking and cybersecurity conference—the younger counterpoint to the Defcon conference—where children can practice cryptography and reverse engineering through hands-on workshops. In today’s rapid-fire digital age, where looks shown on the runway are posted on Instagram before the final parade of models even concludes, CyFi’s mission to teach others about tech security and privacy is certainly relevant. And if her cheeky Fashion Week appearance enforces anything, it’s this: Sure, a good photo op is always enticing—just be careful what you post.